One night in October, Mike Knox was a designated driver for his friends. He was going to have a big day the next day so he headed home early.
An impaired driver with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) 3 ˝ times the legal limit crossed over into Mike’s lane, hit him almost head on, and killed him instantly. The impaired driver was killed, too, leaving behind three small children.
Mike was 16 years old when he was killed. He left behind a brother, Erik, 9, a sister, Kirsten, 7, his father, Ed. And me.
He was my son.
A police officer called and told us he’d be right over. It took him 22 steps to get from his car to our front door. I know. I counted every one of them. He told us in an anguished voice that he was sorry, that Mike was dead.
At first, reality doesn’t set in. You go numb, refuse to believe it. Then even as the devastation overwhelms you, you start running through things in your mind. Who do you need to call first? How do you tell Mike’s aunts and uncles, grandparents, and friends that this wonderful young man is dead? Worse, how do you tell his little brother and sister?!
The devastation, the anguish, the despair became so great that there was more than one time when all I wanted to do was crawl in the grave with my child!
Then when things were at their absolute worst, at an unbelievably dark time, MADD Canada stepped into our lives.
The help and comfort we received from MADD Canada meant more than you can imagine. Their generous support helped make that possible. Knowing that people cared about us in our time of tragedy was a great comfort.
And I knew then that I wanted to help provide that same comfort to others. . .even more important, I wanted to do everything in my power to help keep other families from needing that comfort, to help stop Canada’s impaired driving tragedy!
So I got involved in MADD Canada, and started a chapter in our area where before the closest one had been some 400 kilometers away. Today, in what seems like an almost overnight event, I find myself National President of MADD Canada.
But my goals are the same today as they were when I first got involved. To help others survive their grief and anguish but even more to protect every family possible from ever suffering the grief, the despair of losing a loved one to an impaired driver!
To do that, however, we need your help. Your financial support is needed.
How can we not support MADD Canada when we know that approximately four Canadians are killed in impaired driving crashes every day?! When we know that just under 200 more Canadians suffer serious injuries?!
If our efforts together can save even one life, think how great that would be -- especially if it was the life of someone precious to you!
But if we can end impaired driving deaths in Canada, that would mean between 1,400 and 1,600 lives saved – each and every year!
We need your financial help for all our programs, to end impaired driving in Canada. In simplest terms, we depend on caring, concerned people like you for everything we do! Please donate today, click here to make your online gift.
Louise Knox
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